Out in the Openwith Piya Chattopadhyay
Latest
'They don't realize that I'm exactly who they fear or fathom': White-passing grants man access to racism
James Chaarani says his fair skin leads some people not to know he's a Muslim-raised Lebanese-Canadian. And sometimes he uses his "white-passing" ability to his advantage. But as he explains in an essay for Out in the Open, the privilege also comes with gaining painful access to unfiltered versions of racism.
Piya Chattopadhyay reflects on the privilege of racial passing
Out in the Open host Piya Chattopadhyay's biracial, fair-skinned children have the ability to pass as white. She reflects on what that may mean for them in the future, and both the good and bad that can come with the privilege of passing.
The personal and political tension of 'passing' while transgender
Sessi Kuwabara Blanchard identifies as a transgender woman. But when she walks down the street, Sessi says people often see her as a woman who was assigned female at birth (also known as cisgender). She tells Piya how passing can be liberating for her, but can also carry dangerous risks... and why the mere term is so controversial among transgender people.
In the age of #MeToo, advocate says we need to start talking about stalking
When Julie Lalonde broke up with her abusive boyfriend at the age of 20, she hoped it would be the end of a difficult chapter in her life. Instead, it was the beginning of a decade of stalking and harassment — and she's not the only one.
Man on a mission to show his houseplants can jam together
Bob Connolly thinks plants, people and electromagnetic fields can affect one another in more ways than most of us might believe. To show off those interactions, he's hooking polygraphs up to houseplants and converting their resistance into sounds using MIDI machines.
Whale of a tale: Why one woman clings to her grandfather's too-good-to-be-true stories
Robbin Parcker has always adored hearing her grandfather Michael's fantastical life stories, from the time he stood on a whale, to the time he danced with the queen. But whether those tales are entirely accurate is irrelevant to her.
Feminista Jones doesn't think you're an ally
Activist, writer and social worker Feminista Jones doesn’t like the term 'ally'. Instead, she says she wants 'co-conspirators'.
How straight, white, able-bodied men can have a role in workplace diversity
Corporate inclusion manager Tej Singh Hazra says addressing inequality ‘means having everybody at the table’
'I didn't want to be ridiculed': The emotional toll of microaggressions at work
Karlyn Percil-Mercieca says experiencing racial microaggressions at work in Toronto's financial district impacted her mental health.
Profile
David Treuer says Indigenous people are not 'perpetual sufferers stuffed into reserves'
The award-winning Ojibwe author and academic uses his writing to challenge racist stereotypes that don’t square with his reality.
A mom learns to navigate a relationship with her child's homeless birth parents
Vanessa McGrady was overjoyed when she finally adopted a child. But her desire for an open adoption got complicated when the birth parents became homeless, and she invited them to stay with her.
Emergency dispatcher tried to 'brush off' her PTSD, until she couldn't
‘I went into my own crisis,’ said Jessica Patoine after an emergency call.
Fat, tattooed and on the trail: Meet the woman changing what it means to be a hiker
Meet the woman who carved out a space for herself, and thousands of others who don't fit the mould, in the world of outdoor activities.
Q&A
'They have become the new religion': Esther Perel says we expect too much from relationships
Couples therapist talks about why we fail to connect and how we can do better.
'There isn't anywhere to go': Ontario halfway house for aging inmates addressing gap in prison system
Haley House, a unique halfway house in Ontario, specifically caters to the needs of older and palliative offenders on parole — a type of facility prisoner advocates say we need more of.
Breaking the branch: How one woman plans to stop spread of disease by not having kids
Huntington's disease runs in Chantelle Smith's family. She will die of it herself, should she live long enough. So she's decided not to have kids of her own to stop the perpetuation of the disease.
'It's the dementia, it's not me': How this woman finds resilience in the face of memory loss
At 58, Wendy Mitchell was diagnosed with early onset dementia. She describes coping strategies she's developed to deal with her memory loss, and explains why she thinks dementia shouldn't be seen as an ending, but as the start of a new life.
'To call myself Canadian would speak to the success of residential schools'
Three Indigenous people reflect on the word ‘Canadian’ and what fuels their individual choice to acknowledge or reject the term in how they identify.
'Who am I?' A third culture kid finds himself in Canada
Alain Derbez was born in Mexico, spent his formative years in France, then moved to Canada — his mother’s homeland. He always felt like an "other" until he stumbled upon a book about third culture kids and saw himself in the term.
Members of Hindu temple destroyed by fire plan to raise funds for Notre-Dame
In the days after 9/11, Subhash Dighe's Hindu temple burned down in Hamilton, Ont. A multi-faith community rallied to rebuild it, including members of Javid Mirza's Muslim mosque, which had also been attacked. They both speak with Piya about how their experience informed their belief that Notre-Dame too should be rebuilt, and inspired a local fundraising effort to help.
Updated
Newfoundlander's house burns down during CBC Radio interview
Last year, Piya conducted an interview with Anne Marie Hagan about her father's brutal murder, and reconciling with his killer. After she left the St. John's studio, she got a phone call, learning her house and business had burned to the ground. Initially, she vowed to rebuild. Piya catches up with her to hear whether she did, and how she so often manages to hold onto hope amid tragedy.
Why a scientist is dedicated to preserving a spider that serves no known purpose to the ecosystem
Today's dire state of biodiversity has led conservationists to essentially triage, attempting to tally which species are most important to save. And while there's no evidence an extremely rare spider called the horrid ground-weaver does much at all to ensure our survival, Andrew Whitehouse is determined to preserve it.
Students speak out about the potential pitfalls of gifted testing
While he was in school, Braxton Wignall showed signs of strong intelligence but also had strong behavioural challenges. When he was tested for being "gifted", he didn't make the cut. We hear from Braxton and students he works with today about the controversial practice of labelling students as 'gifted' and who defines what being exceptional looks like.
Video
The promise and pitfalls of assistive technologies for people with visual impairments
Visually impaired users of assistive technologies say apps, gadgets and other innovations go a long way, but broader measures to enhance accessibility would be better.
Audio
Searching for ways to hold on after leaving outport Newfoundland
In February, the Newfoundland and Labrador town of Little Bay Islands voted to relocate. Resettlement of outport communities has a controversial and deeply emotional past in the province. Piya explores how people have tried to hold on to their homes, and how moving has brought salvation with Cindy Billard, whose town of Grand Bruit relocated a decade ago.
Profile
David Treuer says Indigenous people are not 'perpetual sufferers stuffed into reserves'
The award-winning Ojibwe author and academic uses his writing to challenge racist stereotypes that don’t square with his reality.
'I didn't want to be ridiculed': The emotional toll of microaggressions at work
Karlyn Percil-Mercieca says experiencing racial microaggressions at work in Toronto's financial district impacted her mental health.
Q&A
'They have become the new religion': Esther Perel says we expect too much from relationships
Couples therapist talks about why we fail to connect and how we can do better.
A mom learns to navigate a relationship with her child's homeless birth parents
Vanessa McGrady was overjoyed when she finally adopted a child. But her desire for an open adoption got complicated when the birth parents became homeless, and she invited them to stay with her.
